Christopher L. Hill is Professor of Modern Japanese Studies in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. His scholarly work bridges Japanese studies, comparative literature, and intellectual history with a focus on transnational literary and intellectual currents from the nineteenth century to the present. Research Interests: Hill's research centers on the global circulation of literary forms and intellectual concepts. He investigates how genres like the novel travel across borders and how concepts such as 'civilization' and 'culture' become universalized. His work spans Japanese, French, and American contexts while emphasizing intra-Asian connections among Japan, Korea, mainland China, and Taiwan. Hill is particularly fascinated by the 'flow of ideas and literary forms around the world in the modern age,' examining nationalist thought, Japanese intellectuals' views of Asia in the post-imperial postwar era, and the 'Bandung moment' of the 1950s-1960s when decolonizing countries sought to form political and cultural relations outside European and North American frameworks. Publication Trends: Hill's scholarship consistently explores transnational literary history, particularly the movement and transformation of naturalist fiction across global contexts. His work challenges conventional diffusion models by demonstrating the complex, multi-directional pathways through which literary forms travel and transform. Rather than focusing on origination and reception, Hill emphasizes the 'conditions of travel' that enable unexpected transformations of literary forms as they cross cultural boundaries. His recent work has increasingly focused on Japan's relationship with the Global South and anti-colonial movements. Current Projects: "Facing South: Japanese Writers in the Bandung Moment" - examining Japanese writers' responses to decolonization in Africa and Asia during the 1950s-1970s Research on Japanese writers' participation in the Afro-Asian Writers Association and literary conferences following the 1955 Bandung Conference Studies on the reception of Frantz Fanon in Japan during the 1960s Teaching: Hill teaches undergraduate courses on the modern Japanese novel, cultural history of postwar Japan, modernism, samurai representations, and contemporary Japanese social issues. His graduate seminars cover modern Japanese fiction, literature and social theory, cultural history, and the novel in global context. His courses frequently incorporate film, anime, visual art, and philosophy alongside literary texts.
